Melissa Bliss Photography is a Hampton Roads wedding and lifestyle photographer who captures authentic moments in beautiful timeless professional photos for newborns, families, children, engagements and weddings in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Chesapeake, Williamsburg, VA and the surrounding areas. Also available for travel.

Engagement Photo Shoot Downtown

Norfolk Wedding Photographer

Today I’m sharing a stunning urban engagement session with you! Kamauria and Isaiah met in Chicago, and they wanted to shoot their engagement photos in a downtown setting reminiscent of their early dating days.

Admittedly, Norfolk is quite a bit smaller than Chicago, but there are some lively downtown areas, and some interesting architectural features that make for beautiful urban backdrops.

Plus, these two are so adorable and undeniably in love, that photographing them is a dream! I had the best time getting to know them as we explored the city.

Their fun-loving, carefree spirits really come through in their images!

Plus they are absolutely gorgeous, inside and out!

They are planning an amazing wedding in North Carolina, and will have friends and family come to celebrate from all across the U.S.! I know they will be make a stunning bride & groom.

Thank you Kamauria and Isaiah, for choosing me to photograph your engagement session. It was truly an honor and a pleasure to be part of your love story. Best wishes!! - XOXOX, Melissa

If you would like to find out more about our wedding photography services, contact us today! Serving VA & NC. Available for travel destinations worldwide.

I recently met the loveliest couple at First Landing State Park for a winter engagement photo session. Morgan and Eric moved to Virginia a few months ago so they could be together during Eric’s stay here with the Navy.

They recently got engaged, yay!, and wanted to celebrate with some beautiful engagement photos. After I showed them some examples of my favorite locations for engagement pictures in Hampton Roads, they decided that First Landing State Park was the perfect setting for their photo session.

We headed to the park on a sunny afternoon in January, to capture some creative engagement portraits along the shore and wooded trails.

One of the reasons that First Landing State Park is a favorite spot to take photos, is that it offers such a fantastic variety of coves and overlooks for unique photo opportunities. I love that it looks a little different each time I visit. I also love the dreamy Spanish Moss handing from the trees.

One of the best things about shooting there in the winter, is that the park is pretty quiet, and there is much less foot traffic than in the warmer months.

Though they were admittedly a bit nervous about posing for photos at the start, Morgan and Eric were naturals in front of the camera. I guided them into some loose poses and had them focus on each other. That was all it took to create a little bit of magic. They are absolutely gorgeous together.

We had such a lovely afternoon together, and it didn’t take long before we walked away with a memory card full of gorgeous images.

I truly enjoyed getting to know this delightful couple! It was wonderful to have the opportunity to create some unique engagement pictures for them.

I know I’ve been promising for weeks to catch up on blogging, and I have tried, really I have. The past month or so has been the perfect storm of stress and chaos. Since November, I have lost a beloved pet to cancer, and been mostly unwell after first coming down with a virus, and then fighting a sinus infection and severe fatigue for several weeks. All of this came about during the peak of my busiest wedding and portrait season to date. So, it has been a struggle to say the least.

I have managed to keep up with client commitments, appointments, and galleries, but unfortunately, blogging and social media have fallen off my radar for the past couple of months. I do apologize, but sometimes life throws you a few curve balls, you know? I am sincerely grateful for the support of my wonderful family and my kick-ass clients, who have helped me to see all the good that I am blessed with, even on very bad days.

Now on to happier news! I have Alex & Ali’s beautiful Virginia Beach engagement session portraits to share today - yay!! This adorable couple has been a ray of sunshine in my schedule this season. They are so full of life and love. They really know how to focus on and celebrate what matters most.

We shot their engagement session only days before their destination Virginia Beach wedding. The forecast was looking gloomy all week, but we ended up with a warm fall evening, and an amazing colorful sunset at First Landing State Park.

I always recommend that couples schedule an engagement session with their wedding photographer before the wedding, if at all possible. It really helps to quell any nerves, and get comfortable with each other, so that the wedding day photos are relaxed and natural. Alex and Ali were a little concerned about posing after a less than stellar experience with their proposal photographer, but we really hit a rhythm together right away. I think maybe I put them at east with my natural clumsiness, ha ha!

We had a great time together, and by the time we finished up, I knew their wedding day would be spectacular! Stay tuned because I have their MOCA Virginia Beach wedding to share too!

I absolutely love how happy and content they look together.

And I love that amazing sky!!

Thank you Alex & Ali for choosing me to capture your engagement photos! I loved getting to know you both, and I am SO excited for all your future happiness together. - XOXO, Melissa

If you would like to find out more about our engagement & wedding photography services, contact us today! Serving VA & NC. Available for travel destinations worldwide.

Hampton Roads Lifestyle Photographer - Holiday Gift Certificate Sale!

Give the gift of beautiful memories this year! It is a thoughtful and lasting gift for family and friends. Or, you could even reward yourself! Purchase a gift certificate of $250 or more, and receive an additional $50 credit FREE. But hurry! Sale ends at midnight on 12/01/18!

Today I’m sharing Maggie and Sean’s downtown Norfolk engagement session! Yep, I’m still waaaaaay behind on sharing sessions. This session was shot in September. Maggie and Sean booked me for their Spring wedding at the Decker Half Moone Cruise Center in Norfolk, and that was plenty exciting. But, when I met them for their engagement session, I was absolutely over the moon excited because they are SO freaking awesome! Fun, silly, totally comfortable with each other, and totally in love. I had the best time with them!

They even brought their adorable puppy to star in a few photos!

And they brought bikes! They are avid bikers and frequently explore downtown on their bikes, so it was a perfect way to celebrate their relationship. They are so sweet together!

We explored all along the Norfolk waterfront to get some creative shots for them. They were really relaxed and up for anything, so I was having a blast shooting with them!

After walking along the Waterside district, we headed toward Main Street and the downtown area to take advantage of the city lights at sunset.

This has to be one of my all time favorite engagement sessions. I love shooting in the city, and these two - they are simply perfect together. I can’t wait for their wedding day!

Congratulations Maggie and Sean! Thank you for trusting me with your engagement portraits, and for just being you! - XOXO, Melissa

If you would like to find out more about our wedding photography services, contact us today! Serving VA & NC. Available for travel destinations worldwide.

Today I am sharing a lovely little downtown Norfolk engagement session! Have I mentioned that I love shooting in the city? All the unique architecture, pops of color, and textures make for some awesome creative inspiration!

Peter is currently stationed in Norfolk, and Kathryn planned a trip to visit him and have their engagement portraits taken. They are engaged to be married in December and until then, they are making do with a long-distance relationship.

We planned a fun sunset session in the Freemason District for Friday after she arrived. Unfortunately, Kathryn got sick on her way into town, and she was only planning to be here for the weekend. We decided to reschedule for Sunday morning, in hopes that she would be feeling well enough for the session after a day of rest.

Fortunately, our Plan B worked out really well - she felt much better by Sunday, and we had a gorgeous sunny morning for our photoshoot.

I had a great time getting to know Kathryn and Peter during our session, and I am thrilled that we managed to get some beautiful shots for them while they had some time together.

Congratulations and best wishes you two! I know your winter wedding will be a stunning event! I wish you both many happy and healthy years together. -XOXO, Melissa

If you would like to find out more about our wedding photography services, contact us today! Serving VA & NC. Available for travel destinations worldwide.

First Anniversary Session - North End Virginia Beach

I'm sharing a lovely little first anniversary session today. These two came to Virginia Beach to celebrate their first wedding anniversary in August. They booked a mini session to take advantage of some sunset beach portraits while they were in town.

We enjoyed a really gorgeous evening on the beach, and I had a great time shooting with them!

Congrats and best wishes Mr. & Mrs. D! I hope you have many more happy years together. Come back and visit soon! - XOXO, Melissa